Pillbox at SY 69900 73151 (Upper Osprey #2)
As part of the defence for HM Naval Base Portland and the Upper Osprey area of HMS Osprey, a Cold War "Yarnold Sanger" pillbox was located on Incline Road, at the southern entrance to the base. It was constructed sometime during the Cold War and built of reinforced concrete. The pillbox was erected as part of standard defensive measures for UK military sites at the time, and was an example of various other identical pillboxes which were once located on Portland, particularly along the perimeter of RNAS Portland.
HM Naval Base Portland closed in 1995 and Portland Harbour was sold to Portland Port Ltd a year later. A 1995 field visit found the pillbox to be in existence and it remained in good condition into the 21st century. In late 2016 or early 2017, Portland Port Ltd removed the pillbox during on-going development work within the Upper Osprey area.
The term "Yarnold Sanger" is said to originate from Sqdn Ldr Yarnold of the R.A.F. Regiment, who, during the World War II period, apparently invented the idea of assembling this type of pillbox from separate concrete segments.
References
1) Pastscape - Monument No. 1427854 - website page
2) Pillbox Study Group - Airfield Defence - website page
HM Naval Base Portland closed in 1995 and Portland Harbour was sold to Portland Port Ltd a year later. A 1995 field visit found the pillbox to be in existence and it remained in good condition into the 21st century. In late 2016 or early 2017, Portland Port Ltd removed the pillbox during on-going development work within the Upper Osprey area.
The term "Yarnold Sanger" is said to originate from Sqdn Ldr Yarnold of the R.A.F. Regiment, who, during the World War II period, apparently invented the idea of assembling this type of pillbox from separate concrete segments.
References
1) Pastscape - Monument No. 1427854 - website page
2) Pillbox Study Group - Airfield Defence - website page
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